We’re taking on the challenge of transforming a tired and worn out end table into a beautiful piece of green painted furniture. This hexagon end table makeover will show you the step-by-step process of using green paint and gel stain to give new life to an old piece of furniture.

This project is perfect for anyone looking to add some unique and colorful pieces to their home decor. Your end table will surely be a standout piece in any room!

photo of Hexagon End Table before the makeover

The end table holds a special place in our homes – it’s where we rest our drinks, display our favorite items, and add the finishing touches to our interior design. But what do you do when your end table is looking a little dull and outdated? You give it a makeover, of course!

There are so many different ways to use green paint on furniture, from bold statement pieces to subtle accent colors. For this, we chose the Lilly Moon paint in the color Magnolia Garden. This beautiful sage green is perfect for brightening up a room and adding a touch of whimsy.

So let’s get started on how to transform this end table into a stunning piece of furniture that will have all your guests asking, “where did you get that?”

Table of Contents

Supplies Used for Hexagon End Table Makeover

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Krud Kutter
Damp Rag
Sander
Tack Cloth
Clear Shellac
Lilly Moon Paint in Magnolia Garden
Wise Owl Oval Paint Brush
Lilly Moon Gel Stain in Old Fashioned
Lint Free Rag
Medium+ Grit 1/2″ Foam Pad (Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order)
Yellow Frog Tape
Small Paint Brush
Waterbased Polyurethane

Prepping End Table for Makeover

Before we can dive into the fun part – painting, and staining – we need to make sure our end table is prepped and ready for a makeover. Don’t skip preparing furniture before painting – it will make a huge difference in the end result!

The first step is to clean the table thoroughly. We used Krud Kutter and a damp rag to remove any dirt, grease, or grime that may have built up over time. Our guide on how to clean furniture before painting will be very handy for this.

After that, we had to sand the top of the table down to bare wood because the finish was all uneven and messed up.

You should sand before painting furniture to smooth out any imperfections and make the paint job look better. While doing so, we compared two different sanders – the Festool Rotex 125 sander and the Festool RTS 400 REQ sander.

comparing two festool sanders while sanding the finish off an end table

The Rotex 125 sander was faster at sanding, taking about half the time of the RTS 400 REQ. Once sanding was done, we used a tack cloth to get rid of any dust before moving on.

After that, we brought the table outside and gave it a couple of coats of clear shellac. This step is important because it helps the paint stick better and stops stains from coming through paint. We let the shellac dry overnight.

Painting End Table Green

Now for the fun part – painting! We gave the base, legs, and bottom shelf of the end table two coats of Lilly Moon paint in Magnolia Garden color.

We used a Wise Owl oval paint brush to apply the paint, and we found that lightly misting the paint with water helped prevent brush marks and helped it dry smoother. It didn’t leave too many brush marks without the water though, so if you want to skip the water, you can.

brushing Lilly Moon paint in Magnolia Garden color onto an end table

Two coats of green paint did the trick, covering everything perfectly. Just remember to let each coat dry before applying the next one. For more info on this paint brand, check out our Lilly Moon Paint review.

Staining the Top of the End Table

We decided to stain the top of the end table instead of painting it green. We used another Lilly Moon Paint product – their gel stain in old fashioned color. It’s a medium-toned brown that complements the green perfectly.

Here’s our list of the best wood stains to learn more about what type of wood stain is best suited for different pieces of furniture and how to select the right one for your project.

To start, we had to remove some paint residue that I got on the top while painting. I used our trusty Festool Rotex 125 sander. The paint was stuck on there good, even though it had only been a week! We cleaned up the dust from sanding with the vacuum hose and a tack cloth.

When removing paint from wood, make sure to use the correct type of sandpaper. Check out Festool compatible sandpaper here to save you some time and effort.

Here’s our honest Festool Rotex 125 review to know more about my personal experience using this sander.

Then we lightly sprayed some water on the top to slow down the absorption of the gel stain into the raw wood. We brushed the gel stain onto the surface, in the direction of the wood grain, and quickly wiped it away with a lint free rag, following the direction of the wood grain.

photo of brushing gel stain onto end table

You gotta work quickly here to avoid any uneven patches. It looked a little spotty for me, and I even accidentally got some of the gel stain onto the green paint.

Anyway, after letting the gel stain dry for a few hours, we came back and lightly sanded over it using a medium+ grit 1/2″ foam pad. The goal was to even out the spotty finish and give it a smoother feel since water can raise the grain on wood and make it feel rough.

We cleaned off the dust and sprayed more water onto the top. Next, we applied a light coat of gel stain on the top, again brushing it with the wood grain, but this time, we didn’t wipe it away because it was just a very thin coat. We let it dry for a day or so.

Remember the gel stain that got into the green paint? We painted over it using a small paint brush, being extra careful not to get any paint onto the stained top. We did tape off the top with yellow frog tape for delicate surfaces to help with this step.

Check out this post to find out what is the best painters tape that doesn’t bleed.

Topcoating Painted and Stained End Table

To wrap up this makeover, we sprayed 3 coats of waterbased polyurethane in a satin finish all over the table. This will help protect the paint and stain, making it easier to clean and preventing scratches and dings.

photo of spraying topcoat onto furniture with Wagner paint sprayer

The gel stain itself does have a built-in topcoat, but for a heavily used piece of furniture like an end table, it’s always a good idea to add some extra protection. You can read more on the importance of topcoat for painting furniture in our blog post.

Our hexagon end table makeover was a success, and we couldn’t be happier with the results! It’s amazing what a little paint and stain can do to transform a piece of furniture.

Watch the video of this makeover here, or keep reading to see the after photos of this project!

We hope this tutorial has inspired you to give your own end table a makeover and add some green to your home.

If you want more amazing furniture makeover ideas, check out this post for inspiration and step-by-step guides on how to transform your furniture into stunning pieces.

closer view of end table top showing stain

photo of Hexagon End Table after the makeover

More Before And After Makeovers

Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.